And the winner is: Phoenix. NFL owners on Tuesday voted to have 2015's Super Bowl played in suburban Glendale's University of Phoenix Stadium, which was the site of the 2008 game.

It will be the 49th Super Bowl, and the third in the Phoenix area. In addition to Super Bowl XLII, the championship game was played in Arizona in January 1996 as Super Bowl XXX.

The decision was announced after two ballots at the NFL owners meeting in Houston. Competition was between Phoenix and Tampa, which had been host to four NFL title games.

Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the decision. (Video here)

"We are thrilled to be back in Arizona," Goodell said. "I will say it was a difficult choice."

Next year's game is in Indianapolis, followed by New Orleans in 2013 and the New York/New Jersey area in 2014. Owners decided Tuesday to play the 2014 game on Feb. 2. It is an early date to avoid conflict with the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Speculation now focuses on the 2016 game, which will be the 50th Super Bowl. News reports said Los Angeles would be an early favorite. It was the site of the first championship played between the NFL and the American Football League, before the rivals merged. Much will hinge on plays for a stadium planned for Los Angeles to replace older facilities there, including the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Rose Bowl.

"This decision is a positive reinforcement on the entire region, highlighting our ability to put Arizona on a stage for the world to see," Glendale spokesman Jennifer Stein said in a statement. "Glendale’s opportunity to host a Super Bowl honors the continued commitment to Arizona voters to use the state-of-the-art University of Phoenix stadium and the amenities and infrastructure that were built around the stadium in Glendale to attract hundreds of thousands of people while also pumping money into the local economy."

The first ballot required the winning team to get 75 percent of the votes; the second ballot required a simple majority.

"Both cities are great sites for the Super Bowl and both had impressive bids," said Giants owner John Mara, whose team has won championships in both places. "They've each been to the altar a few times recently and were denied. They both deserve to host a game again."

The Glendale stadium is the home team for the Arizona Cardinals.

"Everyone pulled together throughout the Phoenix area to put together a terrific package we were able to present to the owners," Cardinals president Michael Bidwill said. "We are delighted."

Led by future Pro Football Hall of Fame selections Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, plus a posse of Pro Bowl players, Dallas won 27-17. Cornerback Larry Brown intercepted two passes from the Steelers' Neil O'Donnell, converting both into touchdowns. It was the third time in four years the Cowboys won the title.

Seen as one of the great upsets in Super Bowl history, the Giants won 17-14 to become the first NFC wild-card team to win the NFL title. The Pats were undefeated coming into the game, but the Giants stopped their offense. The play of the game was a David Tyree's third-down catch in the fourth quarter, in which Tyree grabbed the ball with one hand and held it against his helmet as he came down. That drive culminated with Manning hitting Plaxico Burress for the go-ahead touchdown with 35 seconds to play.